


Moving On - chapter 5

by thebasement_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Fiction, M/M, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-02-26
Updated: 2003-02-26
Packaged: 2018-11-21 01:53:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11347437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebasement_archivist/pseuds/thebasement_archivist
Summary: The guys add onto their family.





	Moving On - chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

 

Moving On - chapter 5

### Moving On - chapter 5

#### by Jo B

Title: Moving On Chapter 5 - Cats and Dogs 

Author: Jo B 

Keywords: M/Sk/D friendship M/Sk Slash 

Rating: NC-17 

Summary: The guys add onto their family. 

Spoilers: Existence, season 8, and some from other seasons. 

Disclaimer: The X-Files characters are the property Chris Carter, 1013 productions and Fox Broadcasting. No money is being made from their use. 

Warning! This story contains romance between two men. Turn back now, if the subject matter offends you. This is your only warning. Really...I'm serious. 

Archive: DitB, Slashing Mulder, Doggett-slash all others please ask first. 

Web site: http://slashingmulder.com/JoB/ 

Author notes: I started this story before season 9, so canon no longer applies--as if it ever did. 

Special Beta thanks to Joey. 

* * *

Moving On Chapter 5  
Cats and Dogs  
By Jo B 

Mulder's and Skinner's residence  
Monday, March 26, 2001 

Mulder opened his eyes and squinted against the painful glare from the lamp on the nightstand. "Walt...." 

"Welcome back," Skinner said as he tenderly brushed Mulder's damp bangs off his forehead. 

"Oh shit...make the pounding stop." Mulder breathed out painfully, squeezing his eyelids closed. 

"I have some Tylenol...here sit up." Skinner wrapped his arm behind Mulder's back and helped him up. Then he popped two Tylenol caplets into his lover's mouth and held a glass of water to his lips. 

Mulder obediently took them, wanting an end to the painful throbbing behind his temples. 

"How is he?" 

Mulder opened one eye and peered up at Doggett who had quietly entered the bedroom and was standing beside the bed. 

"Alive!" Skinner growled. "I wish you would have warned me that Mulder was going to try to read Kersh's mind!" 

Mulder flinched at Skinner's loud voice. 

Doggett shrugged his shoulders apologetically. "Sorry, Walt, but look on the bright side, at least the asshole approved your partner's benefits for Fox before he left." 

"There is that," Skinner sighed as he lowered Mulder back down on the mattress and smoothed out the blankets over him. 

"Kersh knows how they can be destroyed," Mulder said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

"Who, the replicants?" 

"Yeah, them." 

"How? What kills them?" Doggett asked. 

"Magnetite." 

"Magnetite?" Doggett raised a skeptical eyebrow, mimicking Scully's usually annoying expression. 

"Yeah, if they come in contact with a large amount of magnetite they literally get sucked into it--disintegrating." Mulder was comforted by the weight of Skinner's hand on his chest as his lover sat on the bed next to him. "It makes a weird sort of sense since the metallic vertebrae found in Billy Miles might be affected by the magnetic properties of the magnetite. Did you know they found magnetite in the Mars' rock last month?" 

"No I didn't. What about your vertebrae, Fox?" Skinner asked, looking down at him. 

"I don't know," Mulder said tiredly. 

"It isn't fully developed like Billy Miles was, so maybe this magnetite won't affect you," Doggett said. 

Skinner stood. "John, let's allow Fox to get some sleep. We can discuss this with him tomorrow." He bent and kissed Mulder softly on the lips. "I'll be back in a bit, babe." 

Doggett followed Skinner into the family room, where Skinner walked over to the wet bar and poured them each a couple of fingers of scotch. 

Skinner sat his weary body on the sofa. "John, I can't stand seeing him in so much pain. I know we planned on using Fox to read the minds of General McKnight and anyone else we bring onboard, but we're going to have to find another way." 

Doggett walked over to the fireplace then turned to face Skinner. "I don't like seeing him hurt either, Walt. But if we want to protect him, if we want to win, we're going to need his unique talent. He's already provided us with a priceless piece of information, and possibly a way to protect your home from them." 

"How's that?" 

"We haul a ton of magnetite here--" 

"After we make sure it's not going to kill Fox." 

"Of course, we'll have to test how it affects him first." 

"Okay, John, tomorrow I want you to contact the Gunmen and have them search for a some magnetite. Tell them to be extremely careful; we don't want our enemies to find out that we know their weakness. I'll contact Doctor Charles Burks and see if we can have him arrange some tests with Fox and the magnetite." 

"What about getting Scully involved?" 

"No. The fewer people involved the better. Besides, I believe she's being watched by them," Skinner said, tossing back the remainder of his scotch. 

"Okay, Walt. It's getting late, I'll see you at work tomorrow." Doggett handed Skinner the half-filled tumbler and headed for the back door. His truck was parked in the driveway. 

After he left, Skinner walked into the kitchen and looked at the pile of dirty pans soaking in the sink. Doggett had put away the leftover food and filled the dishwasher with the dirty dishes and utensils. Skinner rolled up his sleeves and got to work scrubbing the pots and pans. 

"Walter." 

Skinner turned and looked toward the doorway. Mulder was leaning against the door frame watching him. 

Wiping his hands on a dishtowel, Skinner hurried over to his lover. "Fox, you should be in bed." 

Mulder placed his hands on Skinner's hips. "I wanted to apologize for scaring you." 

Skinner arms locked around his lover's body in a bear hug. "I should be used to you scaring me by now." 

Mulder rested his chin on Skinner's shoulder, enjoying the muscular arms holding him so protectively. "I love you, Walter. I don't like causing you pain. I'll be more careful from now on." 

Skinner hugged him tighter. "Don't. Fox, being too cautious could get you killed. I just want you to talk to me." 

"Okay, Walter." Mulder pulled away. "I need to lay down. Are you going to come to bed soon?" 

"I'll be there in a few minutes." Skinner kissed Mulder on the cheek then waited until Mulder walked back into their bedroom before he went back to washing the pots and pans. 

* * *

Annapolis University  
Doctor Charles Burks' laboratory  
Wednesday, March 28, 2001 

It was late Wednesday evening and the campus was quiet with only a handful of students were still out and about. Mulder paced around Burks' laboratory as he waited for his friend to finish setting up the test equipment. 

Doggett and Skinner sat on tall lab stools and watched him. Each quietly worrying about the pending tests. 

"Okay, Mulder, I'm ready for you. Take off your shirt and sit on the stool in the chamber," Burks said. 

Skinner frowned as Mulder took off his T-shirt and walked into the airtight chamber and sat on a hardwood stool. Doctor Burks had explained to them that he was going to expose Mulder to small amounts of the magnetite at a time. He'd increase the amount until Mulder reacted or didn't react to it. The airtight chamber was so he could remove the magnetite quickly from the environment in case it had a negative affect on Mulder. 

Once Mulder was seated inside the chamber, Burks attached electrodes to his chest and temples so he could electronically monitor Mulder's body's reaction. 

Mulder flinched. "Jeez, Chuck, your fingers are freezing." 

"Sorry." Burks finished connecting the electrodes then stepped out of the chamber. 

Skinner walked over before Burks could close the airtight door and seal his lover inside. He touched Burks' arm. "Give us a second," he said before stepping inside the chamber. 

Skinner leaned down and kissed Mulder. "Fox, if you feel even slightly ill tell us. According to you this stuff is lethal to replicants." 

Mulder caressed the side of Skinner's worried face with his fingers. "Don't worry, Walter, I don't want to die. Chuck is monitoring my vitals and I'll describe everything I feel." 

Sighing, Skinner stepped out of the chamber and Burks sealed it. 

"Don't worry, A.D. Skinner. I'm not going to let anything happen to him." 

"Where Fox is concerned, I'll always worry." 

Skinner stood beside Burks in front of the window to the chamber. Doggett stepped up beside him and they watched the display screens on the medical equipment recording Mulder's heart rate and brainwave activity as the Doctor opened a lead-lined box and pulled out a small chunk of magnetite. He placed it into a drawer on the side of the chamber. After it closed, he looked up and met Mulder's eyes. 

"Fox, I'm going to open the drawer on your side of the chamber. If you feel anything tell me and I'll seal the drawer immediately." 

Mulder took a deep breath and nodded, he heard Doggett's worried thoughts. Then he watched as the drawer opened and looked at the dark piece of magnetite inside. Nothing. He didn't feel sick. Mulder spoke into the microphone. "Chuck, I don't feel anything. Let's try adding another piece." 

This went on for forty minutes with more magnetite being added each time. It wasn't until the final chunk of rock was added that Mulder noticed something he hadn't picked up on earlier. Each time he was exposed to even a small amount of magnetite he was no longer able to hear Doggett's thoughts in his head. 

He cautiously reached forward and touched the piece of magnetite. It didn't have any physical effect on him. 

"Fox, do you think you might have misread Kersh's thoughts?" Doggett asked. 

"No." Mulder stood. "John, this stuff is preventing me from reading your thoughts." Mulder looked over at Burks. "Chuck, let me out, I have an idea." 

Burks opened the chamber door and Mulder stepped out. 

"What are you thinking, Fox?" Skinner asked. 

"I want you and John to carry chunks of magnetite on you. I believe it will stop the aliens from being able to read your thoughts, and maybe we'll find out if it affects them physically." 

"It didn't affect you. Maybe it won't have any noticeable affect on them either," Doggett said. 

Mulder dropped the piece of magnetite he was holding into Doggett's hand. "Drill a hole in it and use it as a key chain. The bureau has enough of those bastards wandering around its halls that you and Walter should be able to tell really quickly if it has an effect on them. If nothing else it should prevent them from reading your thoughts." 

Skinner picked up a piece of the rock. He was worried and angry. If this small piece of stone could hurt those bastards he wanted a truckload of it, but he still wasn't sure if Mulder was completely safe. "Fox, you don't feel anything from these stones?" 

"No. Nothing, Walter." 

"Okay, we'll deal with this tomorrow. John, I'll see you in my office early tomorrow morning. I know of one replicant in the bureau...I've been keeping an I on him since finding out his secret. We'll see if we can cause him any discomfort." 

Doggett smirked, picking up the largest chunk of magnetite. He planned to use it as a paperweight in the basement office. "If we do, then we'll have a shit load of this stuff delivered to your office." 

"That won't be possible. The government has banned large purchases of magnetite. They've listed it as a hazardous material," Burks said, then added, "There is nothing at all hazardous about magnetite, at least not to humans." 

"That tells us we're on the right track," Doggett said. 

Skinner reached for Mulder's hand. As he held it, Skinner tenderly rubbed circles with his thumb on the smooth flesh. "Chuck, we'd like to thank you for helping us. Fox and I would like you to come over to our home Friday night for dinner, if you can make it." 

Burks smiled brightly. "I'd love to join you for dinner. You can tell me if the magnetite had any affect on anyone in the bureau." 

"Good, we'll see you at seven o'clock Friday night." 

Mulder squeezed Skinner's hand. "John, I hope you can make it Friday night, too. I promise not to pass out face first in my plate again." 

"Hey, free food, count me in," Doggett said. 

"We'll see you both then. C'mon, Walter, I want to get home." 

* * *

When Mulder and Skinner arrived home thirty minutes later, there was a car parked in front of the house. 

"Who would be here this late at night?" Skinner said as he pulled his car into the garage and parked. 

They climbed out and walked out onto the driveway as the three occupants from the car got out. 

"Oh shit," Mulder muttered at the sight of David Henderson and his daughter Katie walking toward them. He'd never gotten around to telling Skinner about his visit to the hospital with Frohike on Monday. 

"Is that the man, Katie?" Henderson asked his daughter. 

"Yes, Daddy." 

"Fox, what's going on?" Skinner asked. 

"Mr. Mulder, I apologize for my behavior at the restaurant. I owe you for healing my daughter." 

"The only thing you owe me, Henderson, is to forget I exist." 

Henderson shook his head. "No, I can't do that, Mr. Mulder. It's a crime against God that you don't share your gift to heal with those in need!" 

"Mr. Henderson, you don't know me, so don't preach at me. Take your daughter and wife home and enjoy your life." Mulder turned and stormed into the garage and through the side door into the house. 

"It's not right," Henderson said. 

"Henderson, stay away from him." There was a hint of a threat in Skinner's tone, not enough for the little girl to notice. If she hadn't been there then Skinner would have given Henderson a piece of his mind. The A.D. walked into the garage and pressed the button to close the garage door. 

Skinner found Mulder in his office, looking out the front window. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Walter, I couldn't get his daughter out of my mind. If she died, I'd feel responsible." 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Skinner repeated. 

"I didn't want to chance that you'd object." 

Without saying another word, Skinner turned and left the office. 

Mulder stomach sank as he watched Skinner leave. Oh God, he couldn't deal with the silent treatment...he'd rather have Skinner yelling at him. He made his legs move and followed Skinner into the family room. His lover was pouring himself a bourbon straight up. 

"Walter, would it help if I said that I'm sorry?" 

Skinner tossed back the two fingers of bourbon and poured himself another. 

"Talk to me. Yell at me. Hit me. Please, don't ignore me...not again," Mulder pleaded. 

"This was a mistake," Skinner muttered angrily. 

The color drained from Mulder's face. He felt light-headed. Everything that had happened to him over the past year was nothing compared to hearing those words and the knowledge that his actions had destroyed his relationship with Skinner. He had trouble breathing suddenly and sank to his knees as he started hyperventilating. Mulder heard the distant sound of a glass breaking then strong arms wrapped around his body and a paper bag being pressed against his lips. 

Skinner held Mulder securely. Seeing his lover collapse had dissolved all of the anger Skinner had been feeling. What had he been thinking? After everything they'd been through together, he should have been a bigger man and set his feelings aside and tried to work this out, instead of uttering threats. That was the last thing Fox needed at this time in his life. 

"Fox, breathe into the bag." 

Mulder clutched at Skinner's wrist as he gasped desperately for air. He panted into the bag until he started breathing normally. 

As Skinner rocked Mulder in his arms, he talked soothingly to him. "Shh, Fox, you're going to be all right. I'm here. I'm not going to leave you." 

"Sorrysorrysorrysorry...." Mulder sobbed and hiccuped as he wrapped his arms around Skinner's body. 

"C'mon, babe, it's late and we're both stressed." Skinner kissed the top of Mulder head as he helped him to his feet. "We'll talk about this in the morning. I love you, we're going to work this out." 

Skinner led him into the bedroom. "Can you undress yourself or do you need help?" 

Mulder didn't say anything as he turned his back on Skinner and started removing his clothes. On auto-pilot, he walked into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He felt Skinner's eyes on him the entire time, but he wouldn't raise his eyes to look at him. 

After the scene in the family room, Skinner kept a close eye on Mulder as they both prepared for bed. He was still mad and hurt that Mulder hadn't talked to him first before doing something that affected both their lives, but the passive movements his lover was making were causing him to feel guilty. 

Mulder walked into the bedroom and slid under the covers on his side of the bed then curled up close to the edge. Guilt gnawed at him as he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. The lights went out and the mattress sank as Skinner climbed into bed. 

Skinner didn't attempt to move closer, allowing Mulder to have his space. He closed his eyes and fell into a troubled sleep. 

After Skinner was soundly asleep and snoring, Mulder slipped out of bed and wandered out onto the back porch. The moon provided just enough light for him to see across the yard as he leaned against the railing. Mulder was sure that his panic attack was the only thing that prevented Skinner from leaving him. It wasn't fair to Skinner or their relationship for him to stay out of pity. Although his heart was breaking Mulder was going to allow Skinner his freedom. Everyone he touched seemed to end up being hurt. 

An owl hooted in a nearby tree and he searched for it among the dark branches. 

"Fox, come back inside. It's cold out here." 

Mulder continued to search for the owl not wanting to face his lover. "Walter, I think we should go our separate ways." 

"You think that do you? Do you care what I think?" 

"You think this was a mistake." 

Skinner crossed the space between them in two steps and spun Mulder around to face him. He used his body to press the younger man against the railing as his fingers twisted in his undershirt. "I'm not going to allow you to leave me!" 

"I don't want to hurt you again...." 

"Then don't. For once I want you to think about me first before you do something that might affect both of us. Talk to me, Fox." 

Mulder swallowed as he looked into Skinner's earnest brown eyes. "I'll try." 

"No you won't try, I expect you to do it." 

"If I mess up again?" Mulder sighed, looking down at Skinner's chest. 

Skinner grabbed his chin between his thumb and finger and lifted Mulder's head so they were looking into each other's eyes. "Then we'll keep trying, Fox." He tilted his head and kissed Mulder softly on the lips. "I love you, even when you're an ass. At least that isn't very often." 

Mulder wrapped his arms around Skinner's middle and rested his forehead on the larger man's broad shoulder. The warmth of his lover's body dissolved Mulder's anxiety. "It's cold out here, Walter, let's go back inside." 

"Does that mean you're not leaving me?" 

"I never wanted to leave you." 

Skinner smiled knowingly as they walked back into their bedroom arm-in-arm. He shut and locked the French doors. 

"I need to get up in four hours to get ready for work." Skinner yawned as they climbed back into bed. 

Instead off staying on their own sides of the large bed they met in the middle. Skinner pulled Mulder against his body. 

Mulder sighed and rested his head on Skinner's fury chest. He fell asleep listening to the sound of Skinner's heart beating soothingly beneath his ear. 

* * *

Mulder's and Skinner's residence  
Thursday, March 29, 2001  
6:00 a.m. 

When the alarm clock went off, Skinner opened his eyes to an empty bed. He had a moment of panic until Mulder strolled into the bedroom naked and carrying a mug of coffee. 

"I thought we could share a shower this morning then I'll fix you breakfast while you dress and shave," Mulder said as he handed Skinner the coffee mug. 

Skinner took a sip of the fragrant beverage and sighed with contentment. One thing Mulder was an expert at was making a good cup of coffee. "Thanks, Fox. I just want a bagel with light cream cheese." 

"It's your night to cook, if you'd rather, I could do the cooking tonight." 

"No. I'll swing by the Blue Moon caf for takeout on my way home." Skinner knew Mulder was trying to make up for last night. "You should be getting the paperwork done for your business." 

They walked into the bathroom together. Mulder turned on the water in the shower as Skinner set his coffee mug on counter and stripped off his briefs then he picked up the mug and continued sipping as they waited for the water to turn hot. 

"I've hired a lawyer to help me with the legal issues, taxes and such." 

"I could have helped you with that, Fox, I do have a law degree." 

"So does John, but you both have full time jobs." They stepped into the shower. 

Skinner set the mug on a dry ledge away from the spray of water. "Who did you hire?" 

"Ah, Doug Matthews." 

"Not former Special Agent Doug Matthews?" 

"Yeah, him." 

"Fox, the man was kicked out of the Bureau for graft. Why would you hire him?" 

"Matthews was a good agent. Plus I believe he was framed on the bribery charges." Mulder soaped up Skinner's chest and worked his way down to his lover's penis and balls. 

"What evidence do you have that he was framed?" Skinner asked, trying to focus on their discussion as Mulder's talented fingers stroked his morning erection. 

Mulder continued to stroke his lover firmly as he talked. "I ran into him and his wife Judy at Starbucks Tuesday morning. They live in an apartment not too far from us. Anyway, Doug and I got to talking and I picked up snatches of his thoughts. You might want to investigate SAIC Glen Bowers." 

"Bowers?" Skinner moaned, pushing into Mulder's fist. "Didn't you get sick reading Matthews' thoughts?" 

"No. It's sort of like when I hear John's thoughts in my head and that waitress in Rochester...." Mulder paused as Skinner's come shot over his fingers. 

Sighing, Skinner leaned into the spray and allowed it to wash the soap and come off his body. "Nothing like a professional handjob in the morning." 

Mulder swatted Skinner on the ass affectionately. "These fingers have only jacked off three men, nothing professional about them." 

Skinner rubbed his ass and smirked at his lover. "You've never told me about who the other two men were." 

Mulder put down the bar of soap and rinsed off. "Krycek when we were partners and a professor from Oxford." 

"I suspected Krycek, he was obsessed with you." Skinner snorted in disgust. 

"Do you want to talk about him, Walter?" Mulder shut off the water and reached for a towel. The way Krycek died and how they disposed of his body still bothered him. He had to keep reminding himself that Krycek was going to kill him. Krycek would have, if Skinner hadn't interrupted them, and saved his life. 

"No! I don't even want to think about that bastard!" Skinner clenched his jaw as he dried himself. He picked up the coffee mug and drained the lukewarm beverage with one swallow. 

Mulder dropped the wet towel into the laundry bag as his eyes glanced into the full-length mirror. In its steam-fogged glass he saw a male shape. Gasping, he spun and looked behind him. Nothing. He turned back and looked in the mirror, had he just imagine seeing someone? 

"Fox, what's wrong?" Skinner asked as he started shaving. 

"Nothing. Just nerves." Mulder felt sure it was just his eyes playing tricks on him. He pulled on his boxers and socks. Not having to go into work had its benefits, he thought, as he dressed in faded jeans and a soft pullover sweater. He rubbed at the stubble on his face as he headed for the kitchen to toast Skinner's bagel. He'd shave after breakfast. 

Skinner came into the kitchen a few minutes later freshly shaved, dressed, and smelling delicious. Mulder loved his cologne. 

"What do you have planned for today?" Skinner asked as he picked up his bagel. 

"Matthews is coming over at ten." 

"How much are you paying him?" 

"Fifty dollars an hour." 

Skinner was relieved, that was cheap for a lawyer. 

"He's been having a hard time building a client base. Not too many people want a lawyer that has been kicked out of the FBI." 

"Fox, I'll start an investigation into SAIC Bowers. Do you have any suggestions what I should be looking for?" 

"I don't have anything specific, so start with the obvious. Look into his life style. Bank accounts, cars, boats, homes, and credit cards purchases." 

"You think he set Matthews up?" 

"Matthews thinks he set him up." 

"Did Matthews tell you this?" 

"No I read his thoughts as we were talking." 

"Okay, I'll see what I can do." 

"Thanks, Walter." 

* * *

FBI Hoover Building  
Thursday, March 29, 2001  
8:00 a.m. 

Doggett placed his briefcase on his desk and removed the large chunk of magnetite. He had a smaller piece that he as wearing on a thin silver chain around his neck. He placed the rock on the stack of paper in his inbox. 

His phone rang. "John Doggett," he answered. 

"Agent Doggett, A.D. Skinner would like to see you up in his office." 

"I'll be right up, Kim." 

Reyes entered the office as Doggett was heading out. 

"Good morning, John. Where are you going?" 

"To see Skinner." 

"Let me take off my coat and I'll join you." 

"No. This isn't about a case, it's personal." 

"Like your trip to Rochester, Minnesota?" 

"I can't talk about this here, Monica." 

"Fine," Reyes huffed. 

Shaking his head, Doggett headed out of the office to the elevator. He nodded at Kim as he entered the outer office. 

"Go on in, Agent Doggett," Kimberly said. 

Skinner was sitting behind his desk with his suit coat off and the pristine white linen sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up as he tackled a mountain of paperwork. 

"Agent, close the door and have a seat," Skinner said, not looking up from the stack of papers he was reading and signing. 

Doggett sat on a chair in front of the desk and waited patiently for Skinner to finish. He grinned when he noticed the framed photograph of Mulder on his boss's desk. Word had already gotten out around the bureau about Mulder and Skinner living together. 

"Do you have it on you?" Skinner asked as he set his pen on the desk. 

Doggett patted his chest. "Yep." 

Skinner picked up his phone. "Kim, ask Section Chief Davis to stop down to my office," he said. 

Davis was one of the agents that Skinner suspected of being an alien replicant. He was a subordinate under Skinner. Also, Section Chief Davis had been Agent Gene Crane's supervisor. The A.D. had been watching Davis closely after Crane was exposed as being a replicant and had even noticed the telltale bump on the back of Davis' neck. 

"Sir, you wanted to see me?" Davis said as he entered the office five minutes later. 

"Yes, be seated this will only take a few minutes." 

Davis looked uncomfortable as he sat next to Doggett in front of Skinner's desk. Tremors started racing through his body. 

"Is something wrong, Davis?" Skinner asked, noticing that the man was shaking. 

"I don't feel well." The Section Chief shot a confused glance at Doggett. 

Skinner stood and walked around to the front of his desk carrying a folder. "This can wait, Davis, if you want to go home and rest." 

Davis was shaking even more the closer Skinner got to him. "Yes...I think I'll do that, sir." He stood and hurried out of the office. 

"That was interesting," Doggett said after the suspected replicant fled. 

Skinner pulled a piece of magnetite out of his pocket as he walked over to his conference table. "This had no affect on Fox." 

"It had one affect, he couldn't read my thoughts when exposed to it." Doggett stood and walked over to him. "What now?" 

"I want to know where we can smuggle in a truckload of this stuff, then I want Burks to do another test with Fox." 

"I'll ask Byers to look into it." 

For once Skinner felt that they might have a way to protect Mulder and to fight back. 

* * *

Mulder returned home from his morning jog and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. He had to hurry since Doug Matthews would be there in less than an hour. He toed off his running shoes then bent to pull off his socks before turning on the faucet in the shower. The tile was cold beneath his feet as he stripped out of his remaining clothes. In fact, the bathroom was unusually cold considering the outside temperature was already pushing seventy. 

Stepping under the hot spray he picked up the shampoo bottle and squirted some of the contents into his palm, then he started shampooing his hair. Mulder closed his eyes to keep the soap out of them as he started to rinse it off. He jumped and swore as he felt fingers caressing his ass. Soap got into Mulder's eyes as he tried to see who was touching him as he swatted at the hand. 

He heard someone chuckle, then silence as the spray washed the soap off his face and he was able to see through reddened eyes. 

Mulder rushed out of the shower and searched the bathroom and closets then hurried naked throughout the rest of the first floor, but he didn't find anyone. He started wondering if he was losing his sanity as he walked back into the bathroom to dry himself and dress. 

After he was dressed Mulder used the towel to wipe up the puddles that he'd dripped around the house in his fruitless search. 

The doorbell rang as he was dropping the wet towel in the laundry hamper. He hurried out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and across the foyer to the front door and opened it. 

"Hi, Mulder, nice place you have here," Matthews said, shaking Mulder's hand. He was thirty-six with dark brown hair and eyes. 

"Walter and I like it." Mulder stepped aside so the shorter man could enter. 

"I'm still finding it weird that A.D. Skinner is gay." 

Mulder had told Matthews about him and Skinner living together before he hired him as his lawyer. "You don't find it weird that I'm gay?" 

"No." Matthews smirked as Mulder showed him into his office. 

"I don't know if I should be insulted." 

"Don't be. I'm not saying that you talk or walk funny. It has to do with the way you dressed as an agent. Most FBI agents don't dress like GQ models." Matthews looked around the home office. 

"Have a seat," Mulder said. 

Setting his briefcase on the coffee table, Matthews sat on the sofa then leaned forward and opened it. "I brought over some forms for you to fill out. We'll start by registering your business. Have you chosen a name? Do you have a logo that we should copyright?" 

"I haven't thought of a name. Do you have any suggestions?" 

"My wife's a graphic designer, she could come up with some names and logo designs for your agency." 

"Okay, how long would it take her? And how much does she charge?" 

"Judy's fast. She'll probably have something to show you by Saturday. She charges sixty-five dollars an hour."" 

"Okay, why don't you both come over for dinner Saturday evening? I'd like Walter to have a say in the name and logo for the agency." 

Matthews laid the forms in front of Mulder. "If you don't think the A.D. would mind us coming over for dinner. I didn't leave the bureau under the best circumstances." 

"Neither did I." Mulder laughed as he started filling out the form. "Don't worry about Walter. He doesn't bark at home, and I'm the only one he bites." 

Matthews grinned. "You can leave the space for the name of your business blank for now. Are you going to have any employees?" 

"If the agency takes off, I plan on hiring an assistant to handle the phones and the day-to-day paperwork, but that will probably be well over a year from now." 

"Have you written a Business Plan yet?" 

"A what?" 

"A Business Plan, its used to attract investors and secure loans from banks. It helps to establish the purpose and direction of your business, clientele, what you'd like to achieve over the next few years, along with organizing the overall structure of your business. I have a book on preparing business plans at home. If you'd like I can drop it off later tonight?" Matthews said. 

"Doug, if it isn't too much trouble. I never really took any business or accounting courses in college. I'm starting to feel like a fish out of water." 

"Have you talked to A.D. Skinner? I'm sure he must have a lot of knowledge on how to run a business." 

"Walter has offered to help...." Mulder paused. "He's going to be my business partner. But I don't want to impose on him too much until after he retires." 

"If that is the case then his name will have to go on these forms." 

"We want to wait until after he retires to put his name on the business," Mulder said as he handed Matthews the completed forms. "Do you want a cup of coffee?" 

"Sure," Matthews said as he put the completed forms back into his briefcase and snapped it closed. 

They stood and the lawyer followed Mulder to the kitchen, while admiring the house. 

Mulder noticed Matthews interest in the house. He started fixing a fresh pot of coffee and asked, "Would you like a quick tour?" 

"If it wouldn't inconvenience you. Judy and I have been saving to buy a house for several years. We still haven't been able to agree on the style, but Judy loves Victorian homes, and this is the first one I've been inside that I actually liked." Matthew sat on the stool at the counter. 

"I knew I wanted this place after reading its description in a real-estate booklet. Luckily Walter also fell in love with it when he saw it," Mulder said as he pulled two mugs out of the cabinet. 

"You really get along with the A.D.? He doesn't seem liked he'd be the easiest man to live with." 

Mulder shrugged his shoulders. "You don't know him. Walter is very different than the gruff persona that he projects at the bureau." 

"I'm sorry, Mulder, I didn't mean to get personal. I am just intrigued by your relationship with the A.D." 

"I suppose I should be grateful that you aren't revolted by it," Mulder said as he lifted the coffeepot. "Do you take anything in your coffee?" 

"No. Black is fine." 

Mulder poured them each a mug. They sat and chatted while they drank the coffee. 

"Do you miss the bureau?" Matthews asked. 

"Yeah. I miss the challenge and excitement of solving cases, and helping people. But I don't miss the bureaucracy. Deep down I know that I should have left years ago. What about you?" 

"Yeah, I miss it. I would like to clear my name someday." 

"Doug, you could be my first case," Mulder said. 

Matthews' eyes turned hopeful. He knew about Mulder's reputation for solving seemingly unsolvable cases. "Thanks, Mulder, but I don't know if I could afford you." 

"We could barter services. If I clear your name, I get one free month legal services." 

"Deal," Matthews said, without hesitation, and reached over to shake Mulder's hand. If Mulder was successful in clearing his name, he'd be able to make more money as a lawyer. 

Mulder smiled and noticed that Matthews had finished his coffee. "C'mon, I'll show you around. Maybe you can find a similar house for you and Judy." 

"Judy is three months pregnant. I'd like to find a place within the next couple of months. I want to be in our new home before she has the baby." 

Mulder paused at the stairs. "Hey, Congratulations." 

"Thanks." Matthews took a deep nervous breath as they headed downstairs to the basement. "I'm scared to death. We've been married for ten years...I hope the baby doesn't change how we feel about each other." 

"I'm sure you'll be fine." 

Matthews whistled as he looked around the large basement. There was wrought iron bars dividing the space into two with a locked wrought iron gate. Behind the bars was floor to ceiling empty wine racks. On the other side of the room was the furnace, water heater along with a large workshop with only a few tools hanging on a pegboard. "A wine cellar isn't something one normally sees in a suburban home." 

Mulder chuckled as he looked around. "I think the basement was what sold Walter on the house. He loves wine and building things with his hands. Unfortunately he sold most of his power tools after his divorce, so he needs to buy more. I just hope he doesn't spend all of his time down here." 

"It sounds like you have similar fears as me. We might as well take it one day at a time." 

Mulder showed Matthews through the rest of the house. It was one o'clock in the afternoon by the time the lawyer left. 

Being alone in the house was making Mulder nervous. He felt like he was being watched, so he decided to go shopping. Not having a car, Mulder walked the four blocks to nearest shops. Main street had several shops along with the caf Walter was going to stop at to pick them up dinner tonight. There was a florist, antique store, pet shop, dry cleaner, wine and cheese shop, and a hardware store. He stopped in the pet shop first and looked at the puppies in the different cages. One cage had several kittens. Mulder knelt beside it and a long furred black and white kitten came over to him meowing. "Hey, how are you little guy," he cooed, sticking his finger into the cage. The kitten nipped playfully at it. 

"Can I help you, sir?" A female store employee asked. 

"I'd like to see this black and white kitten?" Mulder pointed to kitten that was all black except for the white fur on its chin and a white tuff running from beneath its chin down its chest. The kitten also had white fur on its four paws. 

"It's known as a tuxedo." She opened the cage, lifted out the kitten, and handed it to Mulder. 

It was so small; Mulder held the kitten with one hand. "Is it a male or female?" 

"It's a male." The clerk watched Mulder pet the kitten. "I'm Sandra by the way. Have you ever owned a cat?" 

"No. Until recently I lived in an apartment that didn't permit pets. Besides my job kept me on the road a lot so it wasn't practical. How much is he?" 

"Forty-five dollars." Sandra's eyes lit up at the prospect of a large commission from selling a lot of pet supplies to this man. "You'll also need to a litter box, litter, a scratching post, food dishes, cat food, a cat bed, and you should get some toys...." 

Mulder frowned and handed the kitten back. "I walked here. That's a few too many items to carry home, besides I have a couple of more stops to make." 

"We do have a delivery service." 

Mulder looked from her to the kitten. Working at home would be a lot easier if he had some companionship and a cat wouldn't be that much work. "Okay, Sandra, can you have the kitten and the items he'll need delivered to my house at four o'clock?" He wanted to have the kitten settled in before Walter got home with their dinner. 

"No problem, do you want to select the litter box and toys?" 

"No. I'll leave that up to you, just send the bill with your delivery person." Mulder wrote down his address and handed her the slip of paper. 

Sandra read the name and address on the paper. "Thank you, Mr. Mulder. We'll be there promptly at four." 

Mulder reached over and scratched the kitten behind the ear. "Thanks. I better get the rest of my shopping done." He headed outside and walked down to the florist where he purchased a Spring arrangement of brightly colored tulips in a ceramic vase. Next he stopped at the wine and cheese shop and purchased Walter's favorite wine. 

It was after three o'clock in the afternoon by the time he got home. Mulder put his purchases on the kitchen counter then dug through the bottom drawer for the round linen tablecloth. He set the small table in the breakfast alcove before placing the vase with the tulips in the center then he popped the bottle of wine into the refrigerator to chill. 

The doorbell rang as Mulder was emptying the dishwasher, he looked up at the clock, it was four, they were right on time. He opened the front door and Sandra handed him the tuxedo kitten. She was also holding a box of scoopable cat litter while a teenage boy stood behind her with his arms full of packages. 

"Mr. Mulder, where do you want your packages?" 

"Right through here. You can pile them in my office, I'll sort through them later." 

The boy placed several packages including a large covered litter box on the floor of the office. "I'll be right back with the rest of it," he said, hurrying back out the front door. 

"There's more?" 

"Only a few more things. You only want the best for your cat, don't you?" Sandra said, handing Mulder the receipt. 

Mulder flinched at the amount. He placed the kitten on his shoulder as he dug out his check book from the desk drawer. He filled out the check as the boy came back carrying a large multilevel tower made up of several posts and platforms. The entire structure was covered with gray carpet and was over six feet tall. It even had a small room built into the middle of the platform. 

"What is that?" 

"It's a cat tree house, scratching post, and condo." Sandra raised a pretty eyebrow. "It's a must if you want to keep him from scratching your furniture and it gives him a place where he can play and take catnaps during the day." 

"Okay, if you say so." Mulder handed her the check. 

"When he's eight months old, you should take him in to be neutered." 

Mulder nodded as he showed them out then came back into his office. He lifted the kitten off his shoulder and looked into his golden eyes. "What should I name you? You look like you're ready to go out for the evening, how about Midnight?" He kissed the top of the kitten's head then placed it on the lowest platform of the carpet covered structure. The kitten looked around then climbed to the top platform and stared down at Mulder from the top perch. 

"I think I'll keep your tree house in here. You can keep me company while I work." 

Mulder looked at the large covered litter box. "I better get your litter box set up. Now where should I put it?" He decided on the laundry room off the kitchen. He could put it under the open counter across from the dryer. 

* * *

The only parking space available on the busy street was in front of the pet shop. Skinner parked his car and climbed out then walked down the sidewalk to the caf. The block was bustling with people coming and going with their purchases. Skinner held open the door to the caf as a young woman walked out carrying a large bag. She smiled at him and proceeded on her way. 

Skinner entered the caf and walked up to the counter. "Hello, Anne, is my order ready?" he asked the hostess. This was the second time he'd stopped for takeout here since they moved into their new home almost a week ago. 

"Yes, Walter, you're going to need to heat up the wild rice soup. We just removed the roasted chicken from the oven, so it should be still be hot by the time you get it home, same with the side items." 

Skinner's mouth water at the aroma of the rosemary and garlic roasted chicken. "Thanks, Anne," he said as he handed her his credit card. 

She rang up his bill and handed him the receipt to sign. Skinner signed it and added a small tip for the kitchen staff. 

On his way back to his car, Skinner's eyes fell on the window of the pet shop; inside he saw the cutest golden retriever puppy. He opened the passenger side door on his car and placed the take out bags on the front seat then closed the door and hurried into the pet shop. 

"Miss, how much is the golden retriever puppy?" 

"Four hundred and fifty dollars, she comes with papers certifying her breed and pedigree." Sandra walked over to the cage and lifted the frisky puppy out, getting her face licked in the process. "She's a healthy puppy, she's had all of her shots." 

Skinner took the puppy from Sandra. "Okay, I'll take her. I've never owned a dog what else will I need? 

"My name is Sandra." She smiled as thoughts of another large commission danced in her eyes. "I'm more than willing to answer any of your questions. You'll need dog food, food and water bowls, a dog bed, a leash and collar, chew toys, a poop scoop and bags, plus plenty of newspaper to house train the puppy." 

"How does one house train a puppy?" Skinner asked, cuddling the squirming puppy against his chest. 

Sandra smiled. "I have a couple of books that will come in handy. What you'll need is a small room where you can place newspaper over the entire floor. Puppies have no bladder or bowel control; this will change as she gets older. Keep her toys, bed, and food and water dishes in the room. She should be kept in the room while you're at work. You should take her to the room every forty-five minutes after she's eaten or drank. Remember to praise and reward her for going potty in the right place, but don't punish her for accidents, she's too young to understand. Would you like me to select the items you'll need? I'll have Erik carry them out to your car for you." 

"Sure, if you could hurry I have take out from the Blue Moon on my front seat." 

"It will only take about ten minutes," Sandra said as she pulled the items off the shelves and piled them on the counter. 

Skinner smiled at the puppy. "You're going to love your new home." He hoped the dog would keep Fox company during the day and when it got larger it would be able to protect their home. 

Sandra rang up the items and bagged them. Then she pulled the pedigree papers out of the file cabinet and handed them to Skinner before taking the puppy from him. "I'll put her in a box. She's too excited to travel in a car without having an accident. Your total is six hundred and seventy-four dollars and sixty-eight cents." 

Skinner handed her his credit card. Sandra juggled the puppy as she ran the card through the scanner. "Erik, take Mr. Skinner's packages out to his car!" she called as she handed Skinner the receipt to sign. Then she put the puppy inside a cardboard box that was designed for transporting small animals. The box had a handle and air slots. 

Skinner cringed as the puppy started whimpering inside the box. 

"Don't worry, Mr. Skinner, she'll survive the short car trip home." Sandra handed him a receipt. 

"Thank you, Sandra," Skinner said, taking the cardboard box from her and walking out to his car. He opened the trunk, and Erik piled his packages inside. 

Skinner put the whimpering box on the floor of the passenger seat. It took two minutes to drive home. As he pulled into the garage, he crinkled his nose as the smell of urine permeated the car. He grabbed the food bags as he climbed out of the car. "Fox, can you give me a hand out here!" he called. 

Mulder hurried into the garage. "Walter, what's wrong?" 

Skinner handed him the two bags of take out. "Take this into the house and heat the soup. I have a surprise for you, I'll be in with it in a few minutes," Skinner said. 

"What's that noise?" 

"Fox, just do this for me?" 

"Okay, Walter." Mulder walked back inside with the bags, he knew the sound of a puppy when he heard one. Now he only had to find out which one at the pet shop had stolen Walter's heart. 

Midnight was playing with a catnip-filled toy mouse on the kitchen floor as Mulder placed the bags on the counter and started pulling the tinfoil wrapped containers out. He licked his lips realizing he'd missed lunch and was starving. 

Mulder smiled as he removed two slices of sweet potato pie from the bag. Walter was going to get an extra amount of loving tonight for remembering his favorite dessert. He emptied the soup into two bowls and popped them into the microwave. Skinner came in through the door carrying two bags in one hand and a puppy in the other. 

"I would have bet money that you would have chosen the German Shepherd puppy," Mulder said, smiling. 

"I liked this one...." Skinner looked down at a kitten that was trying to climb his leg. "Fox?" 

"I liked that one," Mulder said as he looked down at his kitten. "Why don't you put our dog on the floor next to our cat. I want to see if they'll get along." 

Skinner set the puppy on the floor. She walked over to the kitten and sniffed him then started licking him. Midnight licked the puppy back. Then the puppy discovered the kitten's water bowl and lapped up all of the water. 

Mulder opened the bottle of wine while glancing at their new pets, relieved that they took to each other right away. "I bet they wouldn't have gotten along if they were older." The microwave beeped and he pulled the soup bowls out as Skinner carried the open bottle of wine to the table. 

"Those are pretty," Skinner said, nodding to the vase. "So you walked to main street today?" 

"Yeah, I wanted to pick up some wine for dinner, but as you can see I got sidetracked." 

Skinner kissed Mulder softly on the lips. "I love you. We need to get you some wheels." He sat in front of the bowl of soup and picked up the soupspoon. "What made you buy a cat?" 

Mulder sat across from him. "I wanted some companionship while I worked and I figured since we're living together that Midnight wouldn't be neglected if I had to go out of town on an investigation." 

"That's about the same reason I bought the dog, besides protecting our family. I need a name for the puppy." 

"Is it a male or female?" 

"Female." 

"How about Ginger, Lucy, or Nutmeg?" Mulder ate his soup as he talked. 

"I like Nutmeg, it matches her coloring." 

"Did you test the magnetite today?" 

"Yes, John and I used the magnetite to test one of the replicants at the bureau." 

"Did it have an affect?" 

"Yeah, Section Chief Davis started shaking and appeared to be sick. I allowed him to leave because I didn't want to alert him to the magnetite." 

Mulder took a sip of wine. "We should try to get enough magnetite to kill them." 

"I have John looking into it. Fox, I'm still worried about how the magnetite might affect you." 

"Walter, destroying them is more important than my life." 

"Not to me, Fox," Skinner said as he finished his soup. 

The doorbell rang. 

"I'll get." Skinner stood. "Why don't you heat the remainder of dinner?" 

He strolled across the foyer to the front door and opened it. 

"Ah, A.D. Skinner, I'm dropping off this book for Mulder," Doug Matthews said nervously, looking at the large intimidating man who was still dressed conservatively in a Brooks Brother's suit and tie. 

"Mr. Matthews, come in. Fox is in the kitchen," Skinner said as he stood aside to let the shorter man inside. 

"Thanks." Matthews followed Skinner back to the kitchen. "I hope I'm not intruding," he said as he saw Mulder scooping mashed potatoes onto two plates with roasted chicken. A puppy and kitten were at Mulder's feet looking up at him. 

"Hi, Doug, you're not intruding," Mulder said as he put one of the plates into the microwave. "Thanks for bringing the book. Walter, Doug brought me a book on writing Business Plans, maybe you can give me a hand with it later." 

Skinner nodded. "I'd love to. I should have suggested you write one. They can be essential to a business's success." 

Mulder took the book from Matthews and leafed through it. "Would you like to stay for dinner? There is enough food left for another plate." 

"No, thanks. Judy has a pan of lasagna in the oven...I should be getting back home. Mulder, Judy did say she'll have some designs ready for you on Saturday." 

"Okay then, we'll see you and Judy for dinner Saturday night, say around six o'clock?" Mulder handed Skinner the book then pulled the plate out of the microwave and added the other. 

"We wouldn't miss it," Matthews said as he turned and headed for the front door. 

After he left Skinner asked, "What is his wife doing for you?" 

"For us, Judy is a graphic designer, she's developing some logo designs for our private investigation agency," Mulder said as he cut off a small piece of chicken for the puppy and kitten. 

"We haven't even chosen a name for our agency yet." 

"Judy's going to suggest some, seeing that you didn't like my suggestion." Mulder pulled the second plate out of the oven and carried them both to the table. 

Skinner sat across from him and placed his napkin back on his lap. "Fox, I didn't think The S&M Agency was a very good idea." 

Mulder grinned. "It had a better ring to it than The M&S Agency." 

"Okay, we both suck at naming our PI agency. I hope Mrs. Matthews has a more creative mind." Skinner shoveled some potatoes into his mouth as the puppy sat beside his chair and whimpered. 

"He's hungry. Did you pick up any puppy food?" Mulder said. 

"Yes. I have a whole bag full of the hard food and canned puppy food. Where's Midnight?" Skinner glanced around the floor for the kitten. 

"Shit!" Mulder spotted the kitten on the counter in the kitchen. He quickly stood and rushed into the kitchen. Midnight had its little face buried in the carton with the remaining chicken. "Bad cat," he scolded, lifting the kitten off the counter and setting it on the floor. The puppy scampered over to it and started licking the grease off the kitten's face. 

Skinner chuckled, as Mulder sat back at the table. 

Mulder sighed, "I didn't think he could jump that high." 

"We'll feed them the left over chicken this time, but I don't want to spoil them." 

Mulder pushed the cornbread stuffing around on his plate. "Walter, something strange happened today." 

Skinner looked over at him and set his fork down, giving Mulder his complete attention. "What happened?" 

"After I returned from my morning jog, I took a shower and washed my hair. While I was rinsing the shampoo off I felt someone touching me. I got soap in my eyes trying to see who it was. By the time I could see the person was gone." 

The color drained from Skinner's face. "Fox, did you remember to lock the outside door? You could have been sexually assaulted or murdered." 

"Walter, I'm still not sure if anyone was really there." 

"What? You think you imagined someone touching you?" 

"Maybe. For someone to have touched me they would have gotten wet. I didn't find any puddles or traces of water in the house other than what I dragged through looking for him." 

"You think it was your mind playing tricks on you?" 

"I'm not sure what to think. It seemed so real." 

"You've been under a lot of stress lately. Maybe it has something to do with your ability to read people's minds and heal." 

"How's that?" 

"I don't know you're the paranormal expert not me." Skinner smiled reassuringly. "Fox, if something like this happens again call me, even at work." 

"You don't think this house could be haunted, do you?" Mulder resumed eating. He felt better after telling Walter about what had happened to him. 

"This house was built in 1972 and had the same owners the entire time. They didn't mention anything strange in their disclosure papers." Skinner speared a red beet as he looked into his lover's eyes. 

Mulder shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe they didn't disclose that this house was haunted. I'd like to bring in a medium to check the place over." 

Skinner sighed, "Okay, Fox, but make sure that this medium you bring to our home doesn't make us the talk of the neighborhood." 

"Walter, I think we already are the talk of the neighborhood." 

"We're the talk of the FBI, too. Isn't it grand to be so popular?" Skinner quipped. 

"Welcome to my world." Mulder smirked then flinched as the kitten's claws dug into his leg as it climbed up and settled on his lap. He looked down at the bundle of fur. "Maybe I should have named you Freddie Krueger." 

Skinner finished eating. He carried his plate to the sink and rinsed it off before putting it in the dishwasher. Then he located the dog bowls in one of the bags. He rinsed them off then filled one with water and the other with roasted chicken. "Come on, Nutmeg," he said, placing the dishes on the floor next to the empty cat bowls. The puppy ran over and started gulping down the food. Skinner glanced at his wristwatch, the puppy had drunk some water earlier so he didn't have quite forty-five minutes before he had to put her in the area he was setting aside for her to use as a potty. 

"Fox, how are we going to prevent the tiny garbage disposal from eating the cat's food?" Skinner lifted the kitten off Mulder's lap and held its fuzzy body against his chest. 

Mulder took a sip of wine and smiled up at his lover. "I think we might have to feed him on the counter in the laundry room. I have his litter box under the counter." 

"I'm going out to the garage for the rest of the puppy supplies. I want to turn the walk-in closet, off the kitchen, into the puppy training room." Skinner set the kitten back on Mulder's lap. 

Skinner piled the bags against the wall of the family room. Next he carried a stack of old newspapers into the house and laid them on the floor of the walk in closet. He placed the puppy's bed in the room. "Fox, tomorrow I'm going to stop for one of those toddler gates. I think it will be a little less traumatic if we use a gate to keep the puppy in this room instead of closing the door on her." 

"What are we going to do tonight?" 

"She has no control over her bladder or bowels. We should keep her in this room while we're asleep. Until she's older we can't allow her free run of the house. One of us is going to have to monitor her at all time." 

Midnight hopped off Mulder's lap and scurried to the laundry room. Mulder had shown the kitten the litter box several times since he set it up. "My baby is already toilet trained." Mulder smirked as they followed the kitten into the room and watched it climb into the covered litter box. 

"Then you'll have more time to help me toilet train our baby girl. Speaking of which where is she?" Skinner looked around the kitchen while Mulder searched the family room and finally his office. 

"Walter, your baby had an accident in my office, bring some paper towels and the Clorox mop." 

The puppy looked up at him wagging her tail excitedly. Mulder picked her up. "At least you didn't pee on the carpet." 

"Sorry, Fox. It must have been from the water she drank when we got home. She has thirty minutes to go before she should pee again," Skinner said as he kneeled and wiped up the urine with the paper towels then used the automatic mop to sanitize the floor. 

"It's okay, Walter, she's only a baby, accidents will happen." 

Midnight came into the room and climb up to the top of his tree house. Skinner glanced over at it. 

"What's that?" 

"The pet store lady said it was a tree house, scratching post, and a condo. I haven't figured out the condo part." 

Skinner looked at it. "It looks well constructed, and Midnight seems to like it." 

"You should see how much it cost. Let's have dessert," Mulder said, remembering the sweet potato pie. 

"How much did it cost?" Skinner asked as he followed Mulder out of the room. 

"Never mind. If it keeps him from destroying our furniture its well worth the price." 

Skinner dropped the dirty paper towels in the trash and put the mop away then he washed his hands at the kitchen sink. "I think we should keep Nutmeg on a leash so she doesn't go exploring without us." 

"Agreed. She can run around my office during the day with the door closed." Mulder handed her to Skinner then washed his hands and scooped the pie out of the containers onto two dessert plates. "Do you want yours heated?" 

"Nope. I'll have some whip cream on it," Skinner said as he fastened the collar around the puppy's neck then clipped on the leash. 

She whined and nipped at the leash. Skinner scratched her behind her ears. "You'll have to get used to it, sweetheart. We'll be taking walks together every morning and evening, and you'll need to wear your leash." 

"You would have made a good Dad," Mulder said as he placed the pies on the island counter in front of the two stools. They had room at the counter for four more stools. They wanted to buy the additional stools when Scully and William moved in. 

"I've always wanted to have children, but Sharon was infertile." 

"And now you're in this weird relationship with me." 

"Nothing weird about our relationship, except your paranormal abilities." Skinner held the leash with one hand as he ate his pie with the other. He listened to Mulder, making sounds of pleasure as he ate his slice of pie. 

"Walter, do you want to share a bath with me before bed?" 

"Sure." Skinner stood. "Fox, can you watch Nutmeg, I'm going to lose the suit." 

Mulder took the leash. "How much longer before she needs to go?" 

"Ten minutes." 

Mulder took the leash. "Okay, hurry back." 

Midnight followed Skinner into the bedroom and watched as the large human changed out of his suit into sweatpants. The kitten investigated the bedroom before climbing up on the bed and settling its small body on top of Mulder's pillow. 

Skinner headed out of the bedroom. He found Mulder standing outside the walk in closet praising the puppy. 

"Good, girl." Mulder looked at Skinner and smiled. "Do you have a treat for Nutmeg for going on the newspaper?" 

"Yeah, there are some biscuits in one of these bags. I'll get them." 

Skinner returned with a box of dog biscuits, he kneeled on the floor and held out one to the puppy. "You did really good," he praised and scratched her head. The puppy barked happily as it took the biscuit. 

In the meantime, Mulder cleaned up the mess and laid a few more sheets of newspaper in the closet. 

When Mulder came back from washing his hands, Skinner looked up at him. His lover looked so beautiful at that moment. Tight jeans hugging long legs and a perfectly shaped ass. 

Mulder smiled down at him. "I recognize that look in your eyes. Do you want to make out on the sofa like teenagers? Or fuck me over the kitchen counter?" 

"Sofa." Skinner led the puppy into the family room and tied her leash to the coffee table leg and placed a chew toy on the floor for her. He clicked on the television set to the Fox news channel. 

"Walter, you want to have sex in front of Bill O'Reilly?" 

Skinner grinned. "Yeah, do you mind?" 

"No, I love your kinky side." Mulder pulled his T-shirt over his head and dropped it on the chair while Skinner rushed into the bedroom for supplies. 

He came back with a tube of lube and a towel. Both he set on the coffee table before going over to his lover who was standing barefoot wearing only his jeans. Skinner admired the long elegance of his lover's body. He placed his hands on Mulder's hips then dropped them to his lover's ass, pulling him closer. "Have I mentioned how much I love your nipples." 

"Not in the last two weeks." Mulder moaned as Skinner squeezed and kneaded his buttocks. He could feel the large swell of Skinner's cock against his hip. His body ached to feel it inside of him. He wrapped his arms around Skinner's middle and kissed him long and deep, tasting the sweetness of his mouth. 

Breaking the kiss, Skinner moved his mouth down to suck on the side of Mulder's throat while his hand moved between their bodies and unbutton then pulled the zipper down on Mulder's jeans. He continued marking his lover's flesh as he pushed the jeans and boxers down Mulder's long legs. 

Mulder stepped out of his pants and kicked them away as Skinner's hand cupped and fondled his sacs. "Walter, I love you," he said as his hands rested on Skinner's hips. He closed his eyes enjoying the musky male scent and the feel of his lover's mouth kissing and sucking his flesh. Mulder moaned as Skinner hands left his body only to return a few seconds later to spread his cheeks apart, before inserting a slick finger into him. 

Skinner relished the feel of Mulder's strong arms locked around his neck as his lover held onto him while he finger fucked him. The heat of Mulder's skin pressed against his chest was driving Skinner crazy with lust. 

Mulder's body burned with arousal as he pushed back on Skinner's thick finger. He glanced over at the puppy, it was looking up at the television watching O'Reilly. A chuckle escaped Mulder's lips. "It figures your puppy would be an O'Reilly fan." 

"Smart pup." Skinner slipped another finger into his lover and continued to stretch him. Mulder was rubbing up and down against his body like a cat in heat. Removing his fingers, Skinner grabbed the towel off the coffee table and laid it out on the sofa. "On your back, and hold yourself open for me." 

"Keep up the sweet talk," Mulder quipped as he lay on the sofa with his ass on the towel. He pulled his legs against his chest and held them in place with his arms wrapped under his knees. 

Skinner peeled off his sweatpants and applied a generous amount of lube to his fat cock. His eyes were locked lustfully on his lover's puckered anus. He kneeled on the sofa between Mulder's parted thighs. Leaning forward, he kissed Mulder's sweet lips as he positioned his cock against the tight opening. He pushed in with a quick snap of his hips and captured Mulder's gasp against his lips. Skinner deepened the kiss as he sank all the way in to his balls. 

"Oooh, yeah, do me," Mulder moaned, enjoying the feeling of fullness that only his lover's thick shaft could provide. 

Skinner started thrusting in and out. He enjoyed the sounds of pleasure Mulder made with each thrust into his hot welcoming body. It made him harder. He placed his hands on Mulder's knees for more leverage to thrust into him harder and deeper. Skinner aimed each thrust at his lover's prostate. 

Mulder wrapped his legs around Skinner's hip and reached for his cock. He stroked himself in time with Skinner's thrusts. The towel and leather cushions beneath him were soaked with sweat. He looked up at his lover's sweaty face. Skinner grunted each time he slammed into him. It felt like the shaft was pushing into his bowels with each deep thrust...filling him completely. 

When his prostate was hit by a powerful blow, pleasure coursed through Mulder's body as his orgasm rushed out of his body. Come spurted out of his cock hitting his chest as his anal muscles contracted around the hard shaft. 

Skinner moaned as he continued thrusting against the pressure squeezing his cock. He pushed in three more times then buried himself as deep as he could get and came with a scream. He collapsed on Mulder's chest as his lover tightened his legs around his waist holding them joined together. 

"Mm, I love how your cock feels inside me. I can never get enough of you," Mulder purred. 

Skinner propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at Mulder's sated face. "I can never get enough of being inside you." He kissed Mulder softly on the lips. 

"Meow." 

Mulder looked up at the kitten sitting on the arm of the sofa looking down at him. "What? You're not an O'Reilly fan?" He chuckled. 

"Do you want to share that bath now?" Skinner asked as he traced his finger through the sticky come on his lover's chest. 

"We should put the puppy in her room. It's been almost forty-five minutes, since she went last." 

"Okay, I'll take care of her, you go and start filling the bathtub." Skinner pulled out of Mulder with a wet popping sound, and stood. 

Mulder lay on the sofa for a several minutes waiting for the tingling to stop as Skinner's come leaked out of him. He sat up on the towel enjoying the sweet ache in his lower body. Leaving his clothes and shoes laying on the floor, Mulder walked into the bedroom and to the bathroom. 

He turned on the faucet and started filling the whirlpool bathtub. Then he went to use the toilet. 

Skinner came into the bathroom with the puppy in toll. "She wouldn't stop crying." 

Mulder flushed the toilet. "Walter, she needs to stay in her room at night. Otherwise she's going to poop and pee all over the house," he said while washing his hands. 

"I know, but she's just a baby." 

Mulder took the leash. "Add some bath oil to the water while I'll put her to bed." He walked the puppy across the house to the walk-in closet. Mulder made sure her water dish was full as he put her chew toy on her bed. He removed the lease and placed the puppy on the dog bed. "Go to sleep, Nutmeg," he said, closing the closet door. She started to whine immediately. Mulder sighed, it would be better once Walter got the gate. One of them was going to have to be strong and in this case it was definitely not Walter. 

He listened to the frantic whimpering and the pawing at the door as he walked across the family room. Okay, if she was still crying after they finished their bath, he'd sit up with her while Walter slept. 

"Fox, I can hear her crying all the way in here," Skinner said. 

Mulder placed his hand on Skinner's arm. "Just let her be for now. Let's see if she settles down." 

"Okay," Skinner sighed. 

They climbed into the bathtub and settled down next to each other. Mulder hugged Skinner and rested his head on the broad shoulder. Midnight sat on the ledge cautiously putting his paw into the water then licking the water off it. 

"I thought cats didn't like water," Skinner said. 

"I doubt that he'll be jumping into the bathtub with us. He's just curious." 

"Like his owner." Skinner kissed the top of Mulder's head. "I have a feeling he's going to be getting into all sorts of trouble." 

"Yeah, me too." 

* * *

Annapolis  
Frank Burks' Auto Body  
Thursday, March 29, 2001  
10:00 p.m. 

"Chuck, are you sure this will work?" Doggett asked as he watched the scientist paint his truck with a mixture of paint mixed with magnetite. 

"Pretty sure." 

Langly leaned up against the Gunmen's van. "Dude, give it a chance. We need to find a way to stretch the magnetite we already have, if the paint works we can apply it to Mulder's and Skinner's home. 

Doggett sighed, watching the half-assed paint job being applied to his truck. They discovered that getting a large amount of magnetite was impossible. It had been regulated by the government as a hazardous material. The few small samples that the Gunmen had acquired, Burks had suggested they grind into a powder and mix it with paint. Burks reasoned that spreading a small amount of magnetite across a large surface would have the same affect as having one large chunk of magnetite. Doggett still wasn't sure why he'd agree to have his truck painted with the mixture. 

"Don't worry, Agent Doggett, once it dries it will look a hundred percent better," Burks said. 

"Does that include the paint you got on my chrome?" 

"Hey, it was your job to tape the chrome and windows," Burks said, shrugging his shoulders he continued to spray the paint onto the truck. 

"Couldn't your brother have done the paint job?" 

"He could have if he wasn't on vacation in Vegas." 

Doggett sighed again. "Okay, say this works and my truck is able to kill one of these replicants. What is that going to do to my truck?" 

"We won't know until it happens." Burks sprayed over the final part of the truck. "Okay let's get it into the drier." 

It took three hours for the truck to dry. Doggett had to admit after they peeled the tape and newspaper off the windows the truck actually looked pretty good. 

"Hey, cool. Guys watch this," Langly said as he held a metal key one foot from the truck and dropped it. Instead of hitting the concrete floor the key flew through the air and stuck to the side of truck. 

"Ah, Chuck, just how strong is this stuff?" Doggett asked while imagining metal car doors in park lots slamming into his truck every time he parked next to another car. 

Burks smiled excitedly. "It's stronger than I imagined it would be!" 

Doggett sighed, "I'm going home, I want to get some sleep before heading into the bureau." 

"I'll see you over at Mulder's and Skinner's for dinner tonight," Burks said. 

Doggett nodded and climbed into his truck and backed it out of the auto body shop. 

Frohike turned to Burks with a look of disappointment on his face. "They invited you to dinner?" 

"Yes, why?" 

"Mulder hasn't invited us over since we helped him move." 

"Frohike, they haven't even been there a week yet. I'm sure Mulder will invite us to dinner in the future," Langly said. "If not we'll just invite ourselves. C'mon, let's get home before Byers starts worrying." 

"Well, maybe I'll stop out and visit Mulder tomorrow," Frohike said. 

* * *

End of Chapter 5 - Cats and Dogs. 

Coming soon chapter 6 - 

Feedback 

  1. Dinner with McKnight 
  2. Doggett's birthday April 4th 
  3. Fishing trip 
  4. Scully move's in 



* * *

If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Jo B


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